The median annual wage for nurse practitioners working in San Diego, CA, sits at $163,860, per BLS survey data. It runs 27% above the national median of $129,030 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $135,410 and $181,120 — a 45,710 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The average (mean) of $164,870 comes in higher than the median, which usually means a share of high earners is pulling the average up. The catch: San Diego is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $78.78, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for nurse practitioners across all U.S. metros in our data is $129,030.